Lethargic..

Lethargic --- deficient in alertness or activity.

The mind, isn't it a wonder. It has the ability to do everything and yet not complain. Or is it the brain? Cerebra to some but to most Malaysian, especially the present younger generation, it's more suited to a dustpan.

How many of us use this wonder super zillion gigabyte flawless hard-drive 'computer' to harness its strength. Malaysians would prefer NOT to use it at all. The reason being --- LAZY, INDOLENT, OTIOSE. SLOTH, SUPERFLUOUS.

The story of the brain is no work of art either. It goes way back even before Einstein had a brain. It goes far back to the times of the barbarians or even further to the early Neanderthals or long before the dinos.

Each day, with space age and all whatnot-ages coming into cohesion, society has been more like sitting on their fat arses in comfort zone relying NOT on their brain. Let the modern age feed them pampered.

Daily, we hear of innovations from our fellow homosapiens churning up new gadgets and gizmos like satay - hot on the arrival but loses its taste and appeal over exorbitant pricing and marketing henceforth slowly taken over by hybrid spin off intervention. Even hybrids from sister companies either from China or Hong Kong will somehow worm its way in and churn inventions within an invention. The work of the tireless brain. The few who dare challenge and venture.

Amongst Malaysian, the above hardly fits in. The use of the common brain in us is often neglected, never really put to use or make good use of it. In fact, it’s used for all the wrong reasons. I can pick numerous instances where society at large neglect to use their brainy common-sense or better said, have NOT learned to use it at all.

EXAMPLES :

1. Sign Board says : JANGAN BUANG SAMPAH.
The entire squatter would DUMB everything throwable including babies smack in front of that sign. Please tell me they did use the brain before dumping.

2.Sign Board says : KEEP OUR RIVERS CLEAN.
Wowowo....even cadavers can be found in our rivers.

3. Sign says : DO NOT STICK BILL.
You will find Al Long stickers everywhere.

4. Sign says : DON'T SPIT - Need I say more? Heh!... Don't blame us. We're only Malaysians.

We, the Malaysians are more alert to gossips and the brain responds to gossips like the blink of an eye. And these gossips can leap and travel faster than Superman and most are all about NOT ourselves. It's either about our neighbour or the eloped girl or the newlywed couple who quarreled on their wedding night or the husband who has got the 'hots' for the wife's sister or even who-did-what-to-whom hide-and-seek lovers. The list is ever so popular in many ways. It is always about others. PLEASE tell me they are thinking hard!

The better part of these gossips is to amplify cheap second hand slapstick and clichés often spoken by the immediate masses. None of it is worthy of talk or even mention but people are so into it like pudding to jelly. Malaysians can and have built their lives on sheer gossips and many live to ensure these gossips go digital too - email. I do admit I gossip but not to the extend to live, eat and sleep with it. Gossipers get stressed and even seek MCs. It’s amazing how the human brain responds to gossips like a nasi-to-lemak.

Whats more - who needs the brain to think away from such unhealthy and insalubrious rumour frenzy mongerings. Why can't they spend time to read something and rumour monger that. Talk is cheap and word of mouth culture is ever so prominent in our society. But can we be blamed for our sad half-wit lifestyles? Don't we all crave to be rumour mongered and be in the limelight all the same time. Malaysian artists stand good example as far as cheap gossips are concern and our morning papers splash them like killer news. We kill ourselves and our younger generation with cheap stardom and unwarranted publicity. Sometimes, I would like to believe such gossips are even debated in Parliament. I wish my toes can join me to laugh at such gaffes.

Did you know most Malaysians never feed the brain? All they feed is thy selves with fat rich carbo and caffeine stained tonic. You may question - what food does the brain need? Scientifically, its blackcurrant or even dates or prunes but to a lame quintessential person like me, I'd say READING. Reading is all what the brain needs. Sad, some don't even do that after a decade of education. I know a girl who chances my blog everyday not to read but to see if I had posted any pictures.

I ask why she does not read. She said, "Ohh...reading is boringggggggg.." and she stressed the 'g' like chewed wriggley gum all the same making me look like a dumbrat.

The human brain is an ever living cell that needs to be fed daily else it will grow LETHARGIC, DUMB, or even INNATE. If you don't believe in this "myth" by now...PLEASE STOP reading this blog.

The brain grows smarter, more alert and witty when it is fed with words, sentences, adjectives, nouns, verb, colour and all that that comes along when one reads. Malaysians, mostly never do that. They rather feed their tummies and grow like pregnant pigs.

Pity the brain, when it needs 'food,' it craves and this is when one need to know words like Books, Library, Internet, Magazines, Encyclopedia and so on and so forth....but those words are turned into irrelevant mode thus making the brain irrelevant as well.

My late father was the inspiration behind my reading and later writing habits. He did teach me to learn and love the English Language and till to date I still adhere to his simple but profound way of reading and learning. Each time when I use to approach my late father during his lull periods, he would be slouching in his ease chair reading. That's all he did, but never wrote anything. My father would read a book 3 times the minimum. "Freedom at Midnight" - he read it more than 10 times.

I asked, "You read the same book... all the time?" This was me asking him before the reading habit sank in.

He said, "Each time you read a book, it will tell you something you missed reading earlier.: He was so right.

Later, he indirectly and subtly cringed me when he said, "you don't read, you can't possibly know what I'm saying." My late father burnt me cold that morning and I vowed to myself to READ no matter what it takes a year or two to finish a book. And I've kept that promise alive till now.

Yes, I've tried it, and yes reading a book more than once does make sense. My late father was right. Reading once is reading, reading twice the same book is harnessing, reading third is invoking. Try it. You've no idea the capacity of the human brain until you make it work for you.

The common mans says, "Tired la. Can't think. My mind need a break."

There is no such thing as the mind needing a break. In fact the brain is gravely underutilized. Almost 99.9% of the human brain of an individual is NEVER used. Hmmm!....I read this somewhere in a medical journal while waiting for the doctors in a clinic.

Uri Geller used his kinetic mind prowess to bend metal spoons and forks. How? Could he have invoked or provoked his brain to go beyond 3rd dimensional thinking and kinetic telescoping.

Western society spend hours reading - in trains, buses, parks, cafes e.t.c ...e.t.c. How did they learn to embrace such knowledge craving habitual culture?

In Australia I was told, children as young as two in kindergardens are taught to 'cook.' You may wonder how? Well! It’s not the cooking but getting the tots to know and feel the 'kitchen' jungle is what the Aussies teach their young ones at that tender age. Imagine.... young two year olds are put to test beyond their  boundaries at a tender age.

In Malaysia, University students don't have the habit of reading. Even if they read, it will be either for their studies or gossip and dumb trendy magazines. Many, I've met and spoken with can't even comprehend words like kidnap or even retro. These are the future generation of teachers and yet at this stage they still have not cultivated the reading habit or the want to learn more 'habit'.

I do laugh at such stooges when I meet them, or even eavesdrop on them and I ask - what good is a school in Malaysia when they can't speak or fathom the dual-language doctrine.

But then again, there are Malaysians, I know who speak, read and write more than 4 languages. Kudos to them.... I wish I was at least half of that.

And there are Malaysians who read read and read for the sheer craving but sadly they comprise a minuscule lot.

Again.... rest ma case.